Ties That Bind

In the early days of utility development, municipalities sought to shape the new systems in a variety of ways even as private firms struggled to retain control and fend off competition. In scope and consequence, some of the battles dwarfed the contemporary one between local jurisdictions and cable companies over broadband access to the Internet. In this comparative historical study, Jacobson draws upon economic theory to shed light on relationships between technology, market forces, and problems of governance that have arisen in connection with different utility networks over the past two hundred years. He focuses on water, electric, and cable television utility networks and on experiences in four major American cities — Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh, arguing that information and transactions costs have played decisive roles in determining how different ownership and regulatory arrangements have functioned in different situations.Using primary sources and bold conceptualizations, Jacobson begins his study by examining the creation of centralized water systems in the first half of the nineteenth century, moves to the building of electric utilities from the 1880s to the 1980s, and concludes with an analysis of cable television franchising from the 1960s to the 1980s. Ties That Bind addresses highly practical questions of how to make ownership, regulatory, and contracting arrangements work better and also explores broader concerns about private monopoly and the role of government in society.

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An historical guidebook from the networked city to the global internet. Jacobson brilliantly illuminates the political, economic, and technological forces shaping the infrastructure of modern life.

Harold L. Platt, Loyola University of Chicago

This book is a fascinating and important contribution to both urban history and regulatory economics. Interdisciplinary in both scope and method, it should interest scholars in economics, history, law, public policy, and urban studies.

Werner Troesken, Hoover Institution, Stanford University

An impressive work of scholarship. Jacobson traces the development of utility networks in urban areas, specifically public water systems in the early 19th century, electric utilities from the 1880s through the 1980s, and cable television franchising from the 1960s through the 1980s. In particular, this study focuses on Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh. . . . Of special interest is the discussion of how the blends of public and private ownership, as well as the regulatory structure, vary among water, electric, and cable systems. . . . Because of Jacobson's interdisciplinary approach, students, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of economics, history, law, public policy, and technology will find much of interest in his volume.

Choice

Successfully weaves elements from economics, politics, technology, and ideology into a satisfying historical account of the regulation of three American service industries. . . . The book delivers on its promise to provide useful insights on regulatory policy until about 1990.

H-Urban @ H-Net

Provides a very thoughtful angle of attack for rethinking a series of central questions with respect to municipal service delivery. This book is certain to influence scholarship for many years. Its perspectives should not be ignored.

H-Urban @ H-Net reviews

If one desires to better understand the various approaches that legislators have taken to ensure the equitable and efficient delivery of services over fixed networks of pipes and wires, this book is an essential read. ..a great example of history being used to inform public policy.

EH.NET

An economic historian, [Jacobson] believes that one of the best ways of coming to an understanding of the origin and growth of utilities is through an ordferly portrayal of their history in a few representative locations. Thoroughness and attention to detail assures historical accuracy, and accuracy yields confidence in his conclusions.

The Journal of Energy Literature

Jacobson's conclusions illuminate the invisible cords that hold our cities together. ... 'Ties That Bind' reminds us that we cannot escape the messy politics that determine whether we will have light or water or television at all.

Pacific Northwest Quarterly

. . .excellent . . . I would recommend this well-structured book to both business and urban historians and any other historians interested in public utilities or infrastructure development . . . I would also very highly recommend the book to practicing urban planners and local politicians, for the individual stories are both fascinating and instructive.

Business History Review

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296 Pages, 6 x 9 in.

December, 2010

isbn : 9780822961475

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